The benefits associated with elevating a person's feet include improved blood flow to desired areas. Elevating a person's feet above the level of the heart or upper body can be therapeutic in helping to decrease inflammation and swelling in the leg, foot and/or ankle region. For example, the often referenced “RICE” treatment for sprained ankles involves rest, ice, compression and elevation. Foot elevation is also a standard instruction following foot surgery and the like to reduce swelling and decrease the pain level. Foot and ankle swelling due to fluid build up is also common during pregnancy and foot elevation is often recommended. Back pain sufferers also often find relief by elevating their feet/legs with an appropriate support.
Even without an injury or swelling, individuals often find it more comfortable to have their feet elevated when lying on their back.
A variety of support pads and cushions have been advanced in the art in an effort to provide for leg elevation. A remote control variable height foot rest can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,438 which features hydraulic members to vary the height. Of course, there is a high expense associated with a system of this type and its usage location is restricted. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,097,533; 5,173,979 and 5,497,520 illustrate examples of leg elevation support cushions that are designed with an emphasis on supporting a bent knee in conjunction with the feet, and thus tend to be large and bulky and therefore obstructive. In addition, many of these prior art cushions fail to provide a high degree of comfort and/or proper leg positioning or maintenance.